Presented By: Ruby Jindal Sahil Batra

1. Cultural challenges

2. Sampling issues/sampling frame

3. Measurement issues

4. Market research infrastructure

5. Data collection challenges

6. Legal issues

Conducting market research in an international market requires a comprehensive understanding of native culture. Cultural elements such as social institutions, gender roles, language, religion, aesthetics, education, and time orientation are closely intertwined with national culture and have a major impact on the acceptability and adoption of new products and services. Cultural differences deeply affect adoption of products and services and other forms of market behavior.

1. Language:- Language represents the most obvious factor that makes international market research so challenging. To make matters even more complicated, variations within the same language may exist . 2. Translation:- A questionnaire developed in one country may be difficult to translate because equivalent language concepts do not exist, or because of differences in idiom, vernacular, and phrasing (i.e., syntax).

3. Syntax:- It is closely related to language. In fact, syntax specifically refers to word phrasing and sentence construction.
4. Cultural norms:- These norms are very influential forces, and can represent the difference between successful product introduction and failure. 5. Time zones:- During fieldwork, market researchers frequently find it necessary to communicate with the facilities that have been hired to conduct the actual interviews Differing time zones in other countries impact project communication and, ultimately, project timing. 6. Foreign holidays: It is an another factor that can add to the total time frame required to complete an international research project

 Consider the process of conducting marketing research in China. China has a total population of1.2 billion, 350 million of which live in urban areas of 622 cities and scores of smaller towns. A logical means of reaching the largest sample possible, including individuals who don't live in major population centers, involves interview by telephone or computer Unfortunately, technological capabilities are not equal across countries or regions.

1. Native interviewers: To facilitate the already complicated communication process, using native interviewers for international research projects allows multi-national clients to exert a form of quality control. 2. Questionnaire length:- After approximately 20 minutes, most respondents become fatigued with the process and terminate the interview. This factor is exacerbated in international studies, as different languages can shorten or lengthen the amount of time it takes to get through a questionnaire.

In international market research, it is critical to establish the equivalence of scales and measures used to obtain data from different countries. This involves three considerations. 1. It has to be ascertained whether the constructs being studied are equivalent. 2. The equivalence of the measures of the concepts under study has to be determined. 3. The equivalence of the sample being studied in each country or culture must be considered.

Media availability, Internet penetration, quality control, and the overall market research infrastructure significantly impact the success o f international research projects.

Currency fluctuations Doing business around the world always involves the risk of changes in a particular country's currency. Market research firms are also impacted by these fluctuations because of the numerous field services that are usually hired to complete a research assignment.

The process of managing vendors in the international, rather than in the domestic, context is much more difficult, time consuming, and expensive. Unreliable mail service in developing countries makes conducting international mail surveys problematic.
Access issues in terms of locating the appropriate person and gaining their cooperation to participate in a market research study are heightened in the international context. Additionally, respondent and vendor confidentiality and trust are important considerations in the global Context.

Legal and privacy restrictions pose unique challenges in the international research arena.
European countries with strict privacy regulations can potentially shut down marketing activities that profile or collect personal information. Gaining access to specific respondents can be problematic in certain countries.

The Chinese are monitoring questionnaire construction and even the approval of the final data. This is in direct conflict with the American approach of non-disclosure of proprietary client results.